


Finding Mr. Kitty

by jewboykahl



Category: South Park
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Nostalgia, One Shot, Post-Canon, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27943907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jewboykahl/pseuds/jewboykahl
Summary: Craig is forced to take a trip down memory lane with his dumbass boyfriend who lost Cartman's cat while house sitting.
Relationships: Clyde Donovan/Craig Tucker
Comments: 9
Kudos: 11





	Finding Mr. Kitty

**Author's Note:**

> cryde is taking over my fucking life!

It was _such_ a perfect day. Saturday afternoon and nobody was home. Craig found himself feeling extremely relaxed, especially as he settled onto the sofa with a bowl of popcorn and season three of _Stranger Things._ Only a few minutes into the first episode, the bliss of solitude was interrupted the chime of the doorbell behind him. He sighed, pausing the show and setting his snack on the dark wooden coffee table.

“Hey, babe.” He was greeted by none other than his guilty-looking boyfriend. A cheesy grin across Clyde’s lips brought the semblance of a grin back to Craig’s.

“Hey, hon. Come on in.” Craig replied, shifting aside to let the other boy cross the threshold.

Craig scratched the back of his head as he stepped inside the Tucker residence. He assumed Craig’s parents must be gone for the day, or his partner would have been hurrying them both outside the door. Thomas Tucker still was not exactly _fond_ of the nature of their relationship, though he was slowly coming around. Craig preferred to avoid it. “What’re you doing today? You look cute.”

Craig inwardly cursed at the blush his compliment caused, shutting the front door and gesturing to the entertainment center. “I just woke up, but thanks. I’m watching some TV. What about you?”

“Well, then you can say I woke up like this,” Clyde told him, reaching out a hand for his boyfriend to take. Craig was clad in a slightly oversized _Star Trek_ graphic t-shirt and lose-fit grey sweatpants. His black hair was in an attractive disarray, making Clyde believe that he truly had just rolled out of bed despite it being 11A.M. Clyde shrugged nonchalantly, “Nothing, really, just thought I’d stop by and see the cutest person ever. Token wasn’t home, so I came here instead.”

Craig narrowed his eyes at Clyde’s playful comment and flipped him the bird. The taller boy chuckled, taking Craig’s fists in his again and dragging him into an embrace. “I joke, I joke. You’re easily the most adorable thing ever and I admire you very much.”

Craig quickly grew suspicious of the excessive words of affirmation given to him by Clyde. He wasn’t complaining by any means—but generally when greeted by this boy he earned a kiss on the cheek and a _‘Hey, baby’_.

Okay, maybe Clyde occasionally teared up if he thought Craig looked particularly cute on seeing him. But, it was not an everyday occurrence. He asked, “Is everything okay?”

Clyde hummed quizzically, “Uh, yeah, sure, I’m good. What, I can’t tell you that without anything being wrong?”

“Obviously, but it usually spread out over a longer span of time. Do you need something from me?”

“Okay, you got me,” Clyde revealed, cupping Craig’s cheeks in his hands. “You are the most adorable and gorgeous thing on earth, though, that was not a lie. You’re sexy and loveable and sweet and I love you with every inch of my soul—“

“ _Okay_ , Clyde, for fuck sake,” Craig chuckled, voice muffled by his squished cheeks. “What’s the problem?”

Clyde puffed a sigh and removed his hands from his boyfriend’s endearingly rosy cheeks. “You know how Stan’s gang is on vacation together and Cartman asked me to cat-sit for him because Mr. Kitty’s getting over the hill and she needs to take her vitamins or whatever?” Craig nodded, signifying his knowledge of the arrangement. “Okay, well, I lost Mr. Kitty.”

Craig widened his eyes. “Dude, how?!”

“I-I dunno! I went outside to grab something from my car, and I guess she just slipped right past me,” He explained, panic rising in his tone. Clyde was not necessarily intimidated by his friend in general, but there are some lines you do not cross when it comes to Eric Cartman; and one of those is messing with his beloved, ancient pet. “What the hell do I do? She’s an inside cat! What if she gets raped and mugged by all the neighborhood cats?! She’s too old, man!”

Craig placed his hands on Clyde’s shoulders, stifling his laugh. “It’ll be fine. We can go out and look for her. If we find her and get her back before Eric gets home, he won’t even know.”

Clyde stared down at him, twitching one of his chocolate brown eyes to symbolize his stress levels. “How the fuck are we gonna find a cat in this entire town? She could be in the fucking _sewer_ for all I know! Oh, shit, what if she gets eaten by the crab people?”

“ _Clyde_ ,” The slightly smaller boy railed him, a comforting palm pressed against his cheek in attempts to calm him down before he burst into tears. “We’ll find her. South Park is not that big.”

The brunette nodded his head. “Alright. You’re right. We have, like, two whole days to find her. And if we don’t Cartman’s just gonna break my ankles and burn my house down.”

“Exactly, nothing to worry about.” Craig deadpanned. He dropped his hands from Clyde’s face and letterman jacket-clad shoulder before ambling over to the television and clicking it off. He then trotted up to his bedroom to retrieve a pair of shoes and a jacket. After equipping his outdoor attire, he returned to his pacing boyfriend and gave him a grin. “Ready?”

“Yup,” Clyde exhaled shortly, taking a moment to admire the other boy in his navy hooded jacket and white Converse. “Well, aren’t you adorable?”

“I don’t know, am I?” Craig retorted facetiously.

Clyde snorted, pulling the door ajar for Craig to slip outside first. “No, you’re actually butt ugly.”

“So are you.”

The couple set out on a search for the missing cat that started in the backyard of the Cartman residence. When there was no sign of the AWOL Mr. Kitty, they checked the neighboring yard that belonged to one of Cartman’s close friends, Stan. Nothing there. Next was the Broflovski’s. Again, no sign of the absent feline.

“Okay, so she’s not hiding in any of those guys’ houses,” Clyde concluded. He bit his lip and scanned his brain for possible locations that the cat could be hiding at.

Craig perked his head up at Clyde. He was hardly shorter than his boyfriend—a height difference of only three inches. However, the teasing and cooing it caused from Clyde was the main reason the Asian girls approved of their relationship after Tweek and Craig’s fizzled out in middle school. “What about Kenny’s place?”

Clyde shivered at the thought of the dilapidated McCormick residence. “Trust me, any civilized cat would not go to that house. I’ve seen the fucking _gang_ of them that fight over the rats. It’s a blood bath.”

“Good point for once,” Craig teased, earning a disapproving frown from his boyfriend. He made up for it by lacing their fingers together and offering another place to look, “Maybe she wondered off to the playground. Big Gay Al lives pretty close. He has a ton of cats.” A stifled laugh puffed out Clyde’s cheeks. Craig cocked an eyebrow at him, “What?”

“Nothing it’s just… It’s _ironic_ ,” Clyde stated, letting out a strangled laughed, “Y’know, because he’s _gay_ , but he still gets so much _pussy_.”

The darker haired boy maintained an unenthused stare at Clyde collapsed into a brief fit of laughter. “I fucking hate you.”

“Okay, sorry, let’s go look!” Clyde wheezed out, squeezing his hand as they headed in the direction of the playground/basketball court in the middle of town. “Love you.”

“Mhmm,” Craig hummed. When they reached the park, they began calling out for Mr. Kitty and scanning the area for the old, grey cat that Clyde was positive shouldn’t have been able to get too far. She had almost gotten as overweight as her owner. _Almost_.

“Should we check up on the pirate ship?” Craig inquired, giving up on finding the cat in the bushes behind the restrooms.

“Why would she be in the pirate ship?”

“Maybe she wanted to escape the mediocrity of her standard cat life and pretend she’s a swashbuckling scallywag on the high seas.”

Clyde blinked at the response. “Babe, what the fuck?”

“Fuck off, it’s just worth a shot.” Craig shrugged.

The brunette shook his head, laughing softly and heading to the abandoned play area. A childish idea grazed his mind, and a smirk crawled across his lips. When their feet met the mulch, he slapped Craig on the arm before taking off and spouting, “You’re it!”

Craig was rendered bemused as he watched Clyde dash off, giggling like a lunatic. “God, you’re lame.” he laughed, racing after his idiotic boyfriend, who had already managed to climb halfway up the ship-like play structure. Despite the fact that they had spent hours upon hours there as small children, they hadn’t kicked their feet up on the hard plastic equipment in years.

Clyde found it much easier to maneuver through the playground with his long legs and increased agility. Years of playing any sport he could get into did a number on his calf muscles. He stole glances at Craig over his shoulder, who was gaining on him despite being significantly less adept for exercise. He hopped from the top of the playset to the ground, landing with his knees bent before running up the other way. His worn-out Jordan’s stuck against the slick slide, making it up the flat space with no trouble. “Ha-ha, you can’t catch me!” he teased in sing-song, sticking his tongue out at the frazzled boyfriend he left on the twinning structure.

“That’s because half of you is fucking legs.” Craig grumbled, taking the side down instead of freefalling unlike his reckless (idiotic) companion. “You should let me win since this is the first time I’ve run in five years and I’m still alive.”

Clyde barked a laugh, “Not my fault! I try to get you to work out with me all the time!”

“Not my fault I hate exercising. But I can still beat you up.”

“ _That’s_ hilarious. Either way, you gotta catch me first, lazy ass.” Clyde winked, something that Craig hated how much he loved to see.

Craig finally managed to catch the cocky bastard after another go around the playset. He sent a soft punch to Clyde’s spine, barely gracing the smooth fabric of his jacket. “You’re it, bitch!”

Clyde growled, turning on his heels and sprinting after the significantly slower boy. His gangly build also did not help in terms of his speed insufficiency. It was alright, however—Clyde found it utterly endearing. When he easily caught up with Craig, he captured him in a tight embrace and pulled him to the hard earth. “Fuck, dude! You didn’t give me a head start!”

Clyde pinned his arms and hips down, cackling, “What do you think this is? Head starts are for sissies. We’re men.”

“We are both barely men,” Craig defended, struggling to break free from his boyfriend’s hold. He kicked his feet and howled with laughter as the older boy began tickling his sides while simultaneously pressing kisses to his neck and cheek. “Stop it, seriously! I’m going to kill you— _Hahaha_ —what if— _Hahaha!_ What if l-little kids come here?!”

“I believe they should be educated on homosexuality early.” Clyde retorted before replacing his hands to Craig’s face and crashing their lips together. The boy beneath him calmed instantly, squeezing his eyes shut tightly and smiling into the term of endearment. Their lips dragged along each other’s in sensual unison before Clyde broke the contact by saying, “You always did suck at this game, babe.”

“Shut up.” Craig growled, stealing another kiss.

The brunette pushed himself off the ground, wincing at the mulch that left an imprint in his palm. He reached his dominant arm out for Craig to accept and easily yanked him to his feet. His pseudo-muscular arms returned to Craig’s hips, this time dragging him into an innocent hug. Though unsurprised at the sweet gesture, Craig gladly accepted and buried his face in the crock of his neck. Right here is where Craig had always felt secure and whole; there were no stress, fear, or sadness in Clyde’s unnaturally warm arms. Chest to chest, heart to heart with this beautiful boy was where he wouldn’t mind spending the rest of his life—and he didn’t care how impractical that sounded.

“I love you, Tucker.” Clyde whispered gently in his ear.

Craig shuddered at the phrase coming out as a hot breath against the sensitive area. Automatically, he returned, “I love you, Donovan.”

Reluctantly, they pulled apart and set out on their search for Mr. Kitty yet again. Hand in hand, they made their way out of the playground with only vague guesses as to where a twelve year-old cat would even want to go. “If she ended up near City Wok, she’s doomed.” Craig suggested with a sly smirk.

“Dude,” Clyde scoffed, trying hard not to laugh at that remark. “That’s so racist!”

“Pft, it was a joke. Besides, have you _met_ my dad?”

“Duh, but just ‘cause he’s a racist conversva-tard doesn’t mean you have to join in!”

“Shut up, I was kidding.” Craig drawled. He earned a playful glare before extinguishing it with a kiss. “Seriously, though, we should check Stark’s. I remember Cartman’s sadistic ass taking her there to see if she could ice skate, maybe she wanted to retest the experiment.”

Clyde shrugged, “It’s worth a try! Plus, I’m kinda liking this.”

“Liking what?” Craig questioned.

“This,”—he swung their entangled hands—“Playing tag, walking around town, heading to Stark’s. I feel like we’re ten again.”

“Yeah… I mean, we’re about to graduate. How many more chances are we going to get to do this again?” Craig agreed wistfully.

Clyde pouted a lip. “I don’t like that we’re all growing up. Token’s gonna be eighteen in a week!”

“It’s fucking crazy,” Craig sighed, “I’m not looking forward to college.”

“It’ll be awesome! Especially since ours as so close!” Clyde attempted to reassure him, although he knew even the slight distance saddened his boyfriend.

“I know,” Craig promised, squeezing his palm. “I’m just lazy. I will really miss walking down the street to see you.”

“I will, too. Especially when you make that walk _at night_.” Clyde returned suggestively.

Craig chuckled, biting his lip, “Maybe we will all end up back here in South Park after school.”

The brunette scoffed. “For our future kid’s sake, I hope not. But at the very least, we’ll all keep in touch.” He lifted one of Craig’s hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles. “But, you’re all I really need. As long as we’re still in driving distance, I think I’ll make it.”

Craig grinned at the sentiment, “Same. If you move, I move.”

“Where should we go?”

Craig paused, giving his answer dreamy thought, “San Diego. It’s seventy degrees always.”

“That would be pretty nice.” Clyde nodded. “Let’s do it!”

“Wouldn’t _that_ be great?”

“No, I’m serious,” The taller boy corrected. “We’ll save up and we’ll get a big house there and go to the beach all the time. We can do it!”

Craig snorted, “You’re cute, babe.”

“I’m being for real, dude!” Clyde tried to make himself understand, his tone whiney. “I just want us to be happy. We deserve to go be somewhere warm and gay. _You_ deserve to live in San Diego.”

Craig’s heart fluttered, a broad smile stretching his lips. “Just you saying that is enough for right now.”

Clyde eagerly returned the grin and kissed Craig’s forehead. “As long as we don’t end up _dying in L.A_.”

“Moving me somewhere warm and gay _and_ quoting my favorite band? I just might have to marry you.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Clyde giggled.

They had finally made it to Stark’s Pond, which despite beginning to thaw over hosted several little kids happily staking on the ice. Nostalgia continued to wash over them at the sight of them laughing and pushing each other to the cold ground.

“I wish we could be nine again. Just for a day.” Clyde sighed.

Craig hummed in agreement as they trekked to the wooded area adjacent to the small body of water. They hunted with little expectation of actually finding the cat, but the principality of completing the search was pertinent to both of them. It was an adventure—a blast from the past. There was an unestablished agreement that they would seek out all possibilities.

The couple paced through the foliage as they called for their friend’s pet. Craig’s gaze fell upon a tree that struck him with familiarity. He smirked to himself and took strike towards the sacred pine. “You remember this spot?”

Clyde spun on his heels to face Craig’s summoning. He bit a lip, picking through his brain for the answer. “It looks familiar.”

“Let me set the scene,” Craig cleared his throat theatrically, leaning against the grand trunk and gesturing for effect. “Thanksgiving Break. Tweek, Token, Jimmy, me, and you all came to hang out. Tweek was heckling me about finally asking you out, and I pulled you over here, and I totally did it. Then, I kissed you, super awesome. It was really smooth.”

Clyde cocked an eyebrow, “Oh, that’s how it went? I thought you were super nervous and he threatened to castrate Tweek if he didn’t shut up, then you pulled me back here and you were trying to ask me out but you were shaking and I kissed you.”

“This is _my_ story, babe, god.” Craig rolled his eyes playfully.

Clyde laughed. “Sorry, remember it how you want.”

Craig smirked, taking Clyde’s hand and drawing him closer. “Could you blame me, though? I was fifteen and you’re perfect. It can be pretty intimidating.”

“Are you kidding?! You’re the one who’s super sexy and cool and hard to read! And if it wasn’t obvious how much I liked you, then I don’t know what was.”

Craig shrugged. “You know me. We don’t exactly talk in my family. I didn’t know how to talk to you.”

“Yet, here we are now.” Clyde grinned happily.

“Here we are.” Craig repeated, losing himself in that familiar deeply brown gaze. He had spent years prior to the topic of discussion pining over Clyde and denying himself the right to pursue the feelings. He was still coping with the fact that his relationship status was under constant scrutinity of shipper artists and his father was pretty homophobic and he felt that he was in danger or ruining their relationship. But, he was tired of Clyde flirting with boys and girls that weren’t him. Opening up about his crush was the best decision he’d ever made—although it did come out in a bumbling and awkward fashion. Clyde didn’t mind at all.

They shared a sweet kiss before throwing in the towel on the investigation. They did a sweep of the neighborhood before returning to the Cartman residence where Clyde had to return and let out the pet dog that was thankfully too stupid to escape.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t find Mr. Kitty. We’ll go out and look again tomorrow.” Craig assured his boyfriend as they took a seat on the sofa, sighing in unison at the comfort of sitting down.

“It’s alright. Worst comes to worst, I’ll just steal one from Kyle’s dad’s cheesing stash in their basement.”

“Solid plan,” Craig laughed and leaned against Clyde’s side. The other boy threw a protective arm around his shoulders. He grinned up at him, “I did like doing that with you, though.”

“Yeah,” Clyde spoke as he stared fixedly into his boyfriend’s round, hazel eyes, stomach churning with adoration. He forced his voice to raise an octave to imitate their friend, Kyle, “But, you see, I’ve learned something today. We can’t hold onto the past. Being nine and running around town killing Sarah Jessica Parker and going to war with New Jersey was a great time of our lives—but now that we’re old enough to make our own decisions we get to start a whole new exciting chapter.”

“Yeah, I definitely don’t miss those gay ass speeches.” Craig grumbled.

Clyde chuckled into a soft kiss. Just as the term of endearment began to escalate, a small noise could be heard from behind them. It was a soft, high-pitched whining tone—almost a whimper. They pulled apart, perking their ears to hear the sound. It came again, louder this time, and they could distinguish it as a meow. Soon the creator of the mysterious noise came gracefully plodding down the steps.

“Mr. Kitty?! What the fuck!” Clyde exclaimed, a mixture of frustration and relief washing over him.

Craig let out an exasperated, “Clyde, did you check upstairs for the cat?”

“Of course I…” he trailed off. “Uh, maybe not…”

“Jesus Christ.” Craig shook his head at his partner’s idiocy.

Clyde clapped his palm over his face. “I’m fucking stupid.”

“Hey, at least Eric won’t break your ankles and burn your house down now.”

Clyde grinned at Craig’s smiling face, rare, genuine positivity radiating from the expression. Considering the meaningful day they shared, he didn’t even mind that he had wasted four hours scanning the depths of the dingy, white-bred, redneck mountain town for an animal that was where it should have been all along. “There’s a bright side to everything, isn’t there?”

After appeasing the Mr. Kitty’s hungry pleas by feeding him, the happy couple headed to their _good_ _friend_ Cartman’s room to end the eventful night by making some more memories right in his bed—which Craig found _extremely_ funny.


End file.
